Dr. Friedberg Finds New Home in Maryland, His Groundbreaking Mesothelioma Research Follows Him

In June 2012, Dr. Joseph Friedberg, then co-director of the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, reported in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery that he and his medical team achieved an “unusually long survival” in mesothelioma patients undergoing surgery and photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Now, over four years later, Dr. Friedberg is heading up the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Mesothelioma and Thoracic Oncology Treatment and Research Center and has seen continued success with the lung-sparing radical pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) surgery, a complicated surgery that involves stripping away the diseased membrane lining the lung but keeps the lung intact.

“This [mesothelioma] is among the most virulent cancers known to man, and we have a long way to go, but it’s encouraging to have achieved results we can report in years not months even for these patients with such advanced disease,” said Dr. Friedberg said in a Dec. 14 press release.

In a study of 73 patients Dr. Friedberg operated on at Penn Medicine, who then received a therapy using a photosensitizing agent and light to kill microscopic cancer cells followed by chemotherapy (92% of patients), overall median survival was just one month shy of three years. Astonishingly, 19 of the patients saw that figure rise to 7.3 years. The team also reported that overall survival was three times higher than disease-free survival, the length of time until the cancer recurs.

“When you take the [entire] lung out, it’s a significant compromise in quality of life,” said Dr. Friedberg. “Although, from a technical perspective, it is more challenging to save the lung than to sacrifice it, it does appear that this technique helps to not only extend life but to also preserve quality of life.”

Pleural mesothelioma arises from asbestos fibers becoming lodged in the thin membrane encasing the lungs. Patients often are exposed to asbestos while working as plumbers, pipefitters, insulators, electricians, mechanics and certain other occupations. Mesothelioma symptoms, such as coughing and difficulty with breathing, tend to develop decades after the initial asbestos exposure. There is no cure for the cancer that affects nearly 3,000 Americans each year.

E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, VP medical affairs at UM

Expert Insight

“Under Dr. Friedberg’s leadership, our new Mesothelioma and Thoracic Oncology Treatment and Research Center is fast becoming a major center for important scientific discovery as well as highly specialized, multidisciplinary care for patients with mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers.”

Oncology surgeons must choose between P/D or extrapleural pneumonectomy when deciding to operate on pleural mesothelioma patients. The former spares the lung, whereas the latter is a radical procedure that involves removing the patients diseased lung as well as the possible removal of the diaphragm, the pericardium and other extrapleural tissue.

These patient results are encouraging and they give hope to mesothelioma patients and their families. The mesothelioma community hopes for continued success and for more developments involving this treatment method.

MesotheliomaHelp encourages those diagnosed with mesothelioma to research all possible treatment options and to seek out mesothelioma specialists such as Dr. Friedberg.

The full study can be found in the Jan. issue of Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

2017 New Year’s Resolutions for the Mesothelioma Community

It is the start of a new year, and with it comes an opportunity to change behaviors, break bad habits or to simply re-evaluate what is important to you. We all have 365 days in 2017 to make a difference for ourselves and for others – so let’s make good use of each day!

Establishing a list of resolutions can help you stick to your goals or just give you a way to organize your thoughts to see what you want from 2017.

Here are some suggestions for New Year’s resolutions for mesothelioma patients, their families and caregivers.

Manage mesothelioma and its symptoms with a complete treatment plan, but make sure to focus on your mind as well.

Engage in fun activities.

Share your story with others to help educate them about mesothelioma.

Organize your paperwork by keeping a file of important medical information, insurance papers and other critical documents.

Treat yourself to something special.

Help others in the mesothelioma community by offering them insights from your experiences.

Eat out with a friend, or invite them over for carry out.

Live life fully and look forward to whatever the next day may bring.

Insist on the best care from your medical team.

Open up to family, friends and medical professions and ask for help when needed.

Make sure to let your caregivers know they are appreciated.

Always stay positive.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2017!

Mesothelioma Patients are Not Alone on their Journey

Throughout my father’s journey with mesothelioma, and even now, I have been blessed with wonderful family members and friends to support me. They have been there through every triumph and struggle, all the ups and downs of this part of my life, but sometimes, I still find myself feeling alone.

When you are faced with a life altering event like a mesothelioma diagnosis, it’s easy to find yourself feeling like no one understands. My entire family was doing their best to cope with the news, but each one of us had to process it, and ultimately go through it, on our own. It’s important to remember that no two people are just alike. If you gave 100 people the same exact situation, you would have 100 different reactions. It is this way with every turning point in your life.

Something else to remember is that it’s ok if you don’t want to share every detail of your experience with this disease with the world. There are some things that you want to keep private. Even I, writing about my family’s story all these years, don’t divulge every nuance of our lives. People will ask questions, and it’s ok to say that you aren’t comfortable discussing it. The topic of mesothelioma may be all that you’re asked about. Sure, there are some people out there who are just being nosey, but the vast majority are truly concerned and want to help.

Keep in mind that even though you may feel like you are on this road by yourself, you are not. Your friends and family are right there with you, undertaking this journey in their own way. Even though it may not be easy, try to keep an open line of communication so that when someone does decide they want to talk, they know that somebody will be there to listen.

Please remember that you have countless people praying for you. Total strangers know how they felt at different points in a mesothelioma story, and only want the best for you and your loved ones. Keep the faith and remember that you are not alone.

2016 Year in Review: Top Mesothelioma Stories

2016 is coming to a close, and while another year has gone by with no cure for mesothelioma, many believe this year’s research efforts brought the mesothelioma community much closer to that goal. There are treatments in clinical trials, promising leads still in the lab, and recently approved treatments now available to patients that show promise for effectively fighting the asbestos-caused cancer.

Every year Mesothelioma Help reports on the top mesothelioma stories of the year, and below we highlight some of our most important stories of 2016.

Number One MesotheliomaHelp Story of 2016

This is the third year in a row that we have selected Mavis Nye of England, who has been living with mesothelioma for over seven years, for the top spot of our news stories for the year. Mavis, who has been a staunch advocate for herself and for all mesothelioma patients, successfully completed a two-year clinical trial of the drug known as Keytruda in the U.S. And, in July, Mavis was the first person in the UK to be able to claim she is in remission from mesothelioma.

In 2014, Mavis enrolled in the MK-3475 clinical trial being run at The Royal Marsden, a world-leading cancer center in the UK. Mavis was the first mesothelioma patient in the UK to participate in the trial designed to test the efficacy of the drug, developed by Merck, in suppressing the PD-L1 biomarker found in cancer cells. PD-L1, or programmed death-ligand 1, is a protein that has been shown to play a role in suppressing the immune system during cancer and other diseases.

Patients across the U.S. are clamoring for Keytruda after 91-year-old, former president Jimmy Carter announced last year that the drug helped him beat melanoma, that had metastasized to his liver and brain.

Thank you Mavis for paving the way for other mesothelioma patients!

U.S. Government Funds Allocated for Cancer Research

The U.S. Government has continued to support research to improve and protect the health of all Americans. During the last year, our representatives and President Obama have approved significant funding to bring new, effective cancer treatments to patients more quickly.

Cancer Moonshot Initiative: In President Obama’s State of the Union address in January he announced a national effort to “cure cancer” through the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. With a goal to accelerate cancer research, President Obama allocated the money and put Vice President Joe Biden at the helm. The hope is that the Moonshot will bring about the breakthroughs needed to bring an end to the needless suffering of millions of Americans – and ultimately, people worldwide. The Cancer Moonshot Task Force will consult with external experts, including the presidentially appointed National Cancer Advisory Board with a charge to provide expert advice on the vision, proposed scientific goals, and implementation of the Cancer Moonshot.
The 21st Century Cures Act: The U.S. government has allocated billions to ensure Americans have the resources necessary to target many of the top medical issues today. Nearly $5 billion has been allocated to fight cancer. This includes $1.8 billion in new resources to transform cancer research and accelerate discoveries towards the Moonshot initiative, and close to $3 billion towards the President’s Precision Medicine Initiatives, among other initiatives, to improve health.

“21st Century Cures is the innovation game-changer that patients, their loved ones, and the nation’s researchers and scientists so desperately need.”

The 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill: Mesothelioma was first funded through the bill in 2011 and has been on the list every year since then, with mesothelioma-eligible funding once again earmarked for 2017. $30 million was allocated for distribution among eligible cancers including mesothelioma, brain cancer, colorectal cancer, listeria vaccine for cancer and many others. An additional $12 million is set aside specifically for the lung cancer research program. The bill provides a total of $282 million for cancer research.

“The Committee commends the Department of Defense for ensuring that projects funded through the various peer-reviewed cancer research programs maintain a focus on issues of significance to military populations and the warfighter.” Close to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, with nearly one-third of those being military veterans.

Clinical Trials Underway Benefit Mesothelioma Community

ONCOS-102: Announced in November, this clinical trial is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of ONCOS-102, an immuno-oncology therapy, when administered in combination with chemotherapy drugs. The clinical trial, being conducted at the Hospital Universitario Quirón in Barcelona, Spain, begins with a Phase 1b trial of a cohort of six patients who will first receive ONCOS-102 with pemetrexed/cisplatin. The standard of care for pleural mesothelioma is the combination therapy of pemetrexed and cisplatin.
CRS-207: Aduro-Biotech, the maker of the Listeria-based vaccine that has been engineered to induce immune system T cells to target cancer cells that express mesothelin, reports continued encouraging results with the immunotherapy drug in its ongoing Phase 1b mesothelioma clinical trial. The company reports 82% of patients had disease control, with 55% achieving a partial response, and 27% with stable disease; and tumor shrinkage was observed in 77% of patients. The company hopes to advance directly to a Phase 3 clinical trial due to these encouraging results seen in mesothelioma patients.
Opdivo: Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina have opened a Phase IB/II clinical trial with Opdivo (nivolumab), a drug that has already shown “spectacular results” for treating lung cancer patients, to assess whether a longer survival can be achieved with patients when ALT-803 is added to nivolumab. Developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Opdivo works by blocking the PD-L1 protein and activating the immune system, leading it to attack and kill cancer cells. ALT-803, being developed by Altor BioScience Corporation, is an immune stimulation drug. By combining these two forms of immunotherapy drugs, the researchers are hoping to deliver a one-two punch to the cancer cells.

FDA Approvals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been on a roll this year in approving anti-cancer drugs. While none of the approvals are specific to mesothelioma, those approved for lung cancer care open new doors for treatment of mesothelioma patients.

In January, the FDA approved Keytruda for first-line treatment in melanoma patients, then in October, Keytruda became the only anti-PD-1 therapy approved by the FDA for first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Keytruda works by targeting the cellular pathway known as PD-1/PD-L1 (proteins found on the body’s immune cells and some cancer cells). This is the same drug that gave Mavis Nye her life back.
Roche’s immunotherapy drug atezolizumab, known as TECENTRIQ, was approved in October for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose disease progressed during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy. Compared with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel, patients in the trials saw a 4.2 and a 2.9 month improvement in overall survival, respectively.

About Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of the lungs, heart or abdomen, caused by past exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma has a long latency period where those exposed to asbestos may not exhibit symptoms for nearly 60 years after exposure. Mesothelioma can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, however, the likelihood of recurrence of the cancer is high. There is no cure for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Help will continue to bring timely, thoroughly researched articles to our readers in 2017.

It’s the Little Things That Make the Holiday Special for Mesothelioma Patients

This weekend, people around the world will be celebrating the holidays with family and friends. Mesothelioma patients and their families are more than likely taking a little extra time to appreciate the little things that make their time together special. Whether it is enjoying the lights of the season, a light snow falling, a football game on TV, a fire in the fireplace or the bite of a delicious cookie, taking the time to sit back and enjoy the simple pleasures of life can ease some of the stress of the season.

Unfortunately, treatments, doctors’ appointments, and the pain of the disease don’t stop during the holiday season. But patients who take the time to forget about their disease, if for just one day, will feel a little more relaxed when they return for their next appointment.

If you have a friend or a loved one suffering from a serious illness, consider taking the time to send a hand-written card, deliver a homemade treat or simply stop by for a short visit to let them know you are thinking of them.

While many factors determine survival for a mesothelioma patient, such as treatment plan and overall health and fitness of the patient, physicians also believe that a positive outlook and affirming thoughts can result in the improvement in a patient’s health. Mesothelioma patients should try to use the holiday cheer to help raise their mood and lower their anxiety level to help them feel better. Maybe those feelings will carry into the next day, week and month.

Warm wishes from all of us at MesotheliomaHelp.

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